The Physics of Birds and Birding

Birding has become one of the world's most popular pastimes for good reason. The vibrant colors, aerial finesse, and vocal talents of birds draw us to nature, stimulate our admiration and pique our curiosity. We cannot help but have questions as we encounter these elegant creatures. How do iridescent feathers seemingly glow? What must a hummingbird do to hover? How does a tiny animal produce all that music? By what means do some birds sense Earth's magnetic field and use it for navigation? Why is it that peering through a few pieces of glass can make a distant bird seem so close? Such enquiry brings us to the realm of physics. The Physics of Birds and Birding sets out to blaze the best possible trail through this landscape. It steers clear complex technical specialization, while avoiding overused paths that lead to unsatisfying, facile explanations. It is a guide not just to the fascinating science of birds and birding, but to the deeper connections that tie all of nature together. Birders and naturalists from all backgrounds will find much of interest here - both in terms of mysteries they've long wondered about, as well as some surprising linkages among what is seemingly unrelated. This unique and remarkable book is an invitation to appreciate what you might not have been seeing all along.

Michael Hurben is uniquely qualified to guide the curious through the exotic habitat where physics and birding intersect. He earned his PhD in physics from Colorado State University in 1996 and has accumulated a life list exceeding 5,000 bird species - despite being legally blind. His career has included award-winning teaching at the college level and decades of cutting-edge, nanoscale engineering in the high-tech magnetic recording industry. He and his wife Claire live in Minnesota.

Preface : Looking Up 1. At the Feeder: Birds, Mathematics and Symmetry
2. In the Garden: Hummingbirds, Flowers and Forces
3. On the Open Seas: Length Scales, Migration and Molecules
4. In a City Park: Movement, Murmuration and Magnetism
5. By a Forest Pond: Impacts, Waves and Sounds
6. Under Night's Cover: Hearing, Recording and Analyzing Birdsong
7. At the Lake: Sunlight, Reflection and Refraction
8. During a Big Day: Light, Matter and Feather Colors
9. In the Blind: Images, Eyes and Cameras
10. From a Great Distance: Lenses, Binoculars and Scopes
11. Under Extremes: Heat, Cold and Thermoregulation
12. Above the Earth: Wings, Lift and Flight
Coda: Looking Back Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
Index